NEBRASKAland Magazine is dedicated to outstanding photography and informative writing with an engaging mix of articles and photos highlighting Nebraska’s outdoor activities, parklands, wildlife, history and people.
Issue link: http://mag.outdoornebraska.gov/i/1120264
12 Nebraskaland • June 2019 By Melissa J. Panella THREATENED AND ENDANGERED: THE PIPING PLOVER Though smack dab in the middle of the country and far from any ocean, Nebraska is positioned perfectly along the flyway of many shorebird species. Some of the shorebirds that visit the state are seeking high quality wetlands where they can stop and refuel during their long migrations. Others stay longer, finding Nebraska to be a suitable place to raise a family. One of the shorebird species that breeds in the state is the threatened piping plover (Charadrius melodius). In Nebraska, piping plovers historically nested on midstream sandbar habitat primarily on the Missouri, Loup, Elkhorn, Niobrara and Platte rivers. Presently, piping plovers also nest on human-created habitats such as sand and gravel mines. The male piping plover chooses locations above the normal high-water line to make multiple shallow cup-like depressions in the sand known as scrapes. The female of the pair then chooses her favorite scrape where she will lay her eggs. These riverine locations offer the resources the plovers need during their nesting season. Piping plovers display interesting behaviors during nesting. Males defend their territories from other males and intruders. They exhibit a start-stop running style that looks a bit like a game of chase. Males court the females with their displays and calls. Both parents share the duty of incubation and work together when a potential predator is sighted. Piping plovers are known to skillfully feign a broken-wing injury to lure a predator away from a nest. Fluffy piping plover fledglings are up and running several hours after hatching. The adults stay close by, and the young are known to crowd underneath a parent for security. The chicks forage in the soft substrate close to the water's edge where they find invertebrates. For the young, it is all about growing stronger, mastering flight and survival in preparation to fly south for the winter. Piping plovers banded in Nebraska are often spotted along the Gulf Coast where they overwinter. Piping plovers became threatened because of alteration to their on-river habitat, invasive species, loss of wintering habitat and other threats. The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission has partnered closely with the Tern and Plover Conservation Partnership led by Dr. Mary Bomberger Brown to conserve the threatened piping plover and the endangered least tern, which overlaps in many of its basic habitat requirements. The Tern and Plover Conservation Partnership has built solid working relationships with industry, homeowners and multiple cooperators to protect these threatened and endangered birds that now find off- river nesting habitat at sand and gravel mine operations and lakeshore housing developments. To learn more about this partnership and ways to share the sand with terns and plovers, please visit ternandplover.unl.edu. PHOTO BY ERIC FOWLER IN THE FIELD